The God of Maggots.

October 16th 2017.

If you're reading this. I'm probably one of those Wackos by now. Or maybe one of them jabbed me to death or I finally took the coward's way out. Whatever reason I may not be here. I want to share my experiences with you, I'm not sure if anyone sane's gonna be around to read this. Or if there's gonna be anyone around period. But the least I can do is hope.

I haven't gone outside in weeks. I don't see a reason to really, Besides picking up groceries or trying to find anyone..Normal. Plus it's too dangerous with the "Worm-Eaters" constantly wandering around town. I'll do my..Best to explain what exactly has been going on around here. Although like I said, You probably already know if you're reading this.

About Three or four days ago the Ads began. On youtube. Twitter. Instagram. Any Social media outlet that had an Advertisement function got infected. I was lucky enough to watch one Without Getting Turned into a Worm-eater. I certainly hope you aren't one either but if you were, I doubt you'd really care about this or keep reading Eh?

It was a cool night & I. Being the Type of person I am liked to stay up late at night and check out my Online feed to see if anyone had posted anything interesting. Maybe a cute Dog photo or some witty quip but I got something else instead. One of those Titular "Ads" That fucked it all up. Nestled nice & comfy between two posts like it belonged there. Like it was just some harmless attempt at getting me to Buy some bullshit I didn't need. & frankly I wish that was right.

It was about Twenty..Thirty? Seconds long. But it felt like it took much longer to play through entirely. It started with a simple 3D kitchen. White tiled floors and walls. A 2D window texture plastered across one of the walls. A "Fridge" Which was just a Big Cube with lines hastily scrawled over it in MS-paint. A "Sink" Which frankly looks like just another Brown & white cube with a slight depression on it's top.

In the Center of this pathetic attempt to Replicate a Kitchen was a figure sitting at a table. Judging by their anatomy & physique I think they were supposed to be a male. But with the Godawful excess of Bloom and how everything looked like it was an Art-student's first draft he just looked like a bunch of Polygons in a Humanoid configuration. Before him was a table (A thin Red Cube sitting on Four miniature Red columns.) and adorning this Faux piece of Digitized furniture was a plate and a pile of Maggots. Well. A pile's a bad way to put it. But rather a Four-Frame 2D "Gif" of a pile of maggots laying flatly on the Plate.

About Fifteen or Twenty seconds in. This polygonal man raised his clump of Cubes for an Arm to the Strange Flat Gif before raising it to his "Head" over and over as if to represent eating. This went on for a solid Eight seconds before finally words came into sight. Chunky And Three-Dimensional like something you'd see on one of those Bowling-alley screens. All it said was "EEAT WORM" (Yes there were Two "E's" In "Eat.") All whilst a distinct buzzing played, Evocative of some kinda fluorescent light or something similar.

When the Advertisement ended I wasn't exactly sure what to think of it. Was that Real? Did It happen? It was surreal enough to be one of those Weird Memes people share. Or maybe it was some kinda Edgy ARG? Hell, Maybe it was just some kind of Fevered Dream I had. But among the things that certainly shook me about it was how..Hungry I felt afterwards. Like I hadn't eaten all day! My stomach ached and wanted something to Eat but I was too shook about it to get up and make a sandwich. I just Turned my phone off And went to bed.

October 17th 2017

It was Two days after I saw that Ad. And things were beginning to get Worse. And I mean WORSE! I must've been lucky when I saw it and only got away with a upset stomach. When others saw it it..Changed them. Did something to them I dunno. It just did something bad to them and It terrified me dearly.

Most of the people in my Suburban neighborhood had already been subjected to this strange Internet-based infection. They left their homes in the Early hours of the mornings (7-8AM.) and didn't go to work but instead just sort of wandered around. Still in their pajamas & barefoot they wandered the neighborhoods with no real purpose or direction like they were still asleep. Sleepwalking almost! But their eyes were certainly open and they seemed to know where they were going. They didn't bump into anything or wander off TOO far. But a choice-few did interesting things.

They'd make their way into Gardens. Parks. Fields. Or anywhere where there was an excess of Dirt. Somewhere they could Dig & harvest what they were looking For. Worms. Any worm! Grubs, Earthworms, Anything they could get their Filthy Dirt-covered hands on. I'd follow them out. Tail them in my truck from afar and see where they'd wander off. Carrying mounds of Dirt and handfuls of Worms back home with them. I didn't know what they were doing with them. And i'm not exactly sure if I wanted to find out. Nearly everyone carrying handfuls of Annelids back home is never a good Sign.

I wanted to check on my Friends. Had they been changed by this strange event. This Dreamlike terror? I hoped not. I hoped it was all fake. But when I walked into their house and pushed the Front door open and walked into the Dining Room, I nearly vomited.

My Friend Zoey was sitting at the Dinner-table with the Rest of her family. Father, Mother, Sister. Greedily digging into their meals like starved animals. Their plate wear had been covered in piles of Worms and Grubs. In the center of their Table sat a Humungous pile of Worms, Grubs, And everything else piled up high. Writhing and glistening in the Lights of their Dining-room. They Greedily sucked down maggots and earthworms like Noodles. Her Father (Johnathan.) Looked up from his half-chewed pile of Worms and asked me in a brainlessly gleeful tone "Come-on-over!" In a sickeningly inviting tone. Like his family wasn't gorging on dirt-covered larvae.

I left immediately and ran home. Pushing open my Front-door and locking it behind me. I spent nearly a half-hour crouched over the toilet and regurgitating my Breakfast down the Toilet plumbing. That was when the Ads started to show up on TV.

October 18th 2017.

About Four days in I had completely Disregarded my Phone and internet. I was afraid that whatever these "Ads" Were would eventually turn me into another one of those Lunatics. That these bizarre & surreal advertisements had brainwashed them maybe. Possessed them? I didn't know. Maybe it was some batshit insane CIA MK-ultra shit. Or some kinda insane Terrorist-attack involving hypnosis or something. I wracked my brain for answers as my Neighbor's behavior only Degraded.

They wandered the Streets all-day. Not driving any cars or Bikes. Just stumbling around barefoot in the same bizarre malaise. They'd stopped showering or cleaning up. Growing filthier and more foul-smelling as the days grew on. They grew paler and skinnier since all they ate nowadays was Worms and maggots. Elderly people and children were the First to perish. Neglect for themselves or the Neglect from others led them to Starve. Die of Dehydration. Or Just smother in their own filth. The houses around mine began to stink too. The Bitter stench of shit mixed with the foul sickly sweet aroma of Rot.

I smashed my TV when I saw one of those Ads come on. A dizzying blur of Colors and Geometric shapes. Like a Corrupted N64 cartridge it spurted out an incomprehensible mess of Muttering words & phrases. All I could make out was "Worm." "Maggot" & "Eat." Before I lost my shit. I didn't want to watch it anymore or potentially get turned onto one of those freaks outside. I grabbed the nearest lamp and chucked it at the TV. It's surface cracking and splintering. The already incomprehensible mass of colors being distorted and warped even further beyond reason before I eventually just unplugged the Damn thing. The unending mess of colors and incoherent screaming between the Digitalized screeching finally ending. Granting me with delightful silence.

I stashed it in the Garage after-wards. And that's when I realized I wasn't safe with these Devices. I went into my basement and Fetched a Wrench. I smashed my phone to bits & pummeled my Laptop into little chunks. Tied it in a bag and tossed it out into the Garbage can. I spent the rest of the Day sitting in my Living-room trying to figure..Something out. What was I going to do now? Everyone's going insane around me & the Internet's dangerous to examine. I'm terrified to try and talk to my Neighbors. I'm not sure if they're dangerous or not. I'll..See what they're up to.

October 19th 2017.

I Regret coming out of my house. I shouldn't have tried to investigate their actions. It was all a stupid. Stupid. Stupid fucking idea. And I'm going to tell you about it.

I woke up the next day at around..I'd say 12 AM. A somewhat acceptable hour to awaken. However, My day was soon to get worse. I didn't know if they were Dangerous, My neighbors. The Worm-Eaters. So I made sure to fetch a screwdriver from my Basement's toolbag. One of my kitchen-knives probably would've worked better but I didn't think of that at the time. I wanted to check on Zoey. Make sure she was alright. That something hadn't happened to her. And so I did. I cautiously left my house and walked down the Street. The Worm-eaters didn't seem to pay me any mind. And I liked that. That they didn't bother me in my Abode.

I approached her house, The grass untrimmed & the Windows dirty. The foul sickly aroma of filth permitted through it. My instincts told me to leave and not to come back. To just go home and sleep. To let them do what they did but no. I had to find out. I had to find out what happened to them. So I opened the Front-door. It wasn't even locked. And a sickening aroma permeated into my nostrils. Like i'd opened up an old Milk-carton that had been simmering in the sun for a week. I had to back away and catch my breath. Hacking and wheezing I covered my mouth and nose with my Coat-sleeve and walked inside.

It was dark inside. The windows had been covered with a thick layer of..What looked like Mucus almost. Like bile and slime mixed together into a sickly yellow coloration. The Floors had been covered in a thick layer of Dirt and bile creating a foul sort of wet carpet of Mushy Compost. It squelched under my feet as I saw hundreds of worms surging through it's mass. Crushing their boneless bodies under my sneakers as I ventured deeper into the Musty house. The air was thick and heavy like I was breathing in smog. The aroma only grew thicker and "Crustier" as I ventured deeper into the home. Calling out occasionally For Zoey or her Family members.

Their Bedrooms were unoccupied. But foul. Rotten hamburger meat & steaks bought from the Supermarkets lined their rooms. Crawling with maggots & flies as I stepped over puddles of Piss & clumps of Worm-infested meat. Their beds were all sopping wet like they had been dredged from the bottom of a lake. Damp and moist with a thick oozing substance resembling mucus. '"What happened here?" I asked myself. What could cause this. WHY were they doing this? The last thing that remained was to check the basement.

I pushed open the Door and ventured down the Steps. The chamber smelled of Foul decay and putrid dung. Peeling wallpaper gave way to a weaving interconnected network of Pale fleshy growths. Like lattice-work covering the already damp walls. As I descended from the Final steps I felt my Sneaker be submerged in something damp. Something wet. A few inches of water soaked the Basement's flooring. Carpet was submerged beneath thick briny ooze as cardboard boxes holding family-memories slowly Degraded from the moisture. My only light was a flashlight I had taken from my Basement's toolbox.

I cautiously navigated the basement. Stepping over half-submerged hunks of unrecognizable meat and pale..Throbbing things poking out from behind the pale concrete of the Floors and walls. Like pustules. The otherwise gentle sound of the sloshing fluid around my feet & the occasional Drip from the moist-ceiling was interrupted by a sound. A low, Gutteral groan. A bestial grunt like something from a Dying warthog. But it still had a distinctly Human tone to it. Soon it was joined by others. A near-deafening orchestra of pained groaning and Grunting. Sometimes the voices were indistinguishable from each other. Other times they were distinct and clear. Finally I flashed my Light towards the Source of the noise.

A hole in the wall. About Four feet wide. And six feet Tall. The stone of the wall had seemingly been dug out by unknown methods. The stone itself was smooth however. Not like it had been dug or ripped or smashed. But rather it was..Melted. Corroded away. A thin white slime coated the sides of this hole. Like something had been dragged through it. And deep within this strange..Hall in the wall. These horrible sounds echoed out. Growing louder and more excited as I shined my Light down it. The barely Human Grunting turned into a mindlessly Eager Giggling. It..Sounded like them. Zoey and her family. It sounds fucked. But I think it might've been them down there.

But that didn't matter. My instincts finally came over me as I opened my mouth and let out a scream of pure terror. Fumbling to navigate the cluttered basement as my Soggy shoes pounded up the Wooden stairs. I swear I could hear Splashing coming down that hallway as I left. Like what was down there was getting closer. Coming for me. It didn't matter. I needed out of there. Quickly. And I left. Went home. And nearly gave myself Second-degree burns in the Shower.

I need to get out of here.

October 20th 2017.

I'm leaving this Godforsaken fucking town. The Worm-eaters are getting angrier. I hear them around my house at night. Slamming their bodies into the side of my house's paneling. Muttering nonsense about how I should "Join in The Fun" And "Let him embrace me." And other nonsense. They jiggle my doorknobs at night to see if they're locked. Rubbing their filthy hands along my windows to see if they're locked. They're trying to fucking get in. And I don't know what'd happen if They did.

They're Degrading. They don't sleep anymore. They just wander around constantly. They haven't changed their clothes or bathed in days. Filthy and slick with sweat & Grease. Growing skinnier and more malnourished. Skin taut against their muscles as they greedily gulp down their grubs and maggots by the handful. Their hair is falling out. They're collapsing in the Street and Dying. I see them cluster around their fallen kind. Plucking Larvae and maggots from their rotten brethren and swallowing it down. Bulbous eyes Eagerly bulging at the sight of a Rotten Corpse. Ripping it open with the Same Fervor a child would with a Christmas present.

I'm leaving. I've put as much water as I could in jugs and bottles to keep with me. I've raided the nearby abandoned houses for canned food and bottled water. Taking everything I can to make sure I'm well-fed. I've siphoned Gas from the nearby Cars and put it in cans. I'll be able to drive for a long-time like this. I took as many Tools, Kitchen-knives. And other improvised weapons I could. I plundered my Garage and managed to find my old baseball-bat. Hopefully that's enough to put one of those Worm-eaters down.

Things are getting Stranger. I'm hearing broadcasts in the Distance. Like the kind you'd hear on a Speaker or a PSA system. I'm not sure what they're coming from but it's all the Same thing. A 6-8 second jingle with bells. And a loud, Booming mechanical voice yelling "EAT UP." As if encouraging these Ghouls. I don't know what to think of it. Has the whole world gone mad? I hope not. And I the only one left? I've gotta find out.

October 21st 2017.

I've left that damn town behind and the Freaks living there. They Tried to stop my Truck but they were too weak. Their bones broke like Toothpicks under my Car's wheels. I shouldn't feel as good as I do. They were people too. They just got a little..Unlucky. They weren't smart enough.

I drove for nearly an hour. Moving through my town. Trying to see what Damage had truly been done. Corpses littered the Streets. Decaying and Rotting but picked clean of their Maggoty passengers. Worm-eaters were huddled around Roadkill and their Dead allies. Plucking annelid parasites from them in order to fuel their own failing body. They themselves have begun to Rot and Decay. Their pasty forms beginning to become home to Squirming white creatures. I nearly Retched when I saw one of them shambling around with half her face Rotted off. Her body slowly being devoured and infected by these creatures. I feared. No. Loathed the idea of becoming one of these pathetic husks.

They largely paid me little mind. Instead mindlessly going about their daily rituals of feasting. Wandering. And self-mutilation. Occasionally one of them sees interest in my Vehicle and Tries to grab onto it or Grapple it. They typically just get crunched. Their bones and Skin ripping apart like nothing was even holding them together. They should be dead..Right? Are they alive? I don't know anymore. Against my Better-judgement I parked outside one of the Smaller supermarkets to look for food. After-all if these freaks only liked to Eat maggots and worms they wouldn't have a use for it. Right?

I was a fucking idiot.

As soon as I stepped in. All I could hear was Flies. Buzzing endlessly around it's interiors. I had to pull my hood up in order to stop them from attacking my face. Using my Scarf as an improvised mask. The entire place smelled like Rot and filth. Like I just stuck my nose into the Dumpster behind a Butcher's shop. I don't know what had happened. But it was horrible. And I didn't want to stay here any longer. But I had to get my supplies.

I held a Wrench in my left hand as a kept low and navigated the isles. A near swarm of flies and other insect buzzed overhead and was practically deafening. Worm-Eaters mindlessly paced the isles and halls of the Grocery store. Gleefully letting themselves get picked apart by the endless onslaught of Insects. I saw them get stripped apart in seconds and collapse in a pile of bones and unrecognizable Flesh. I saw maggots nearly the size of Subway sandwiches or hotdogs. Dead animals like Raccoons. Opossums. Dogs. Cats. And other things were piled up on the shelves and freezers in order to foster more and more Maggots.

I even saw an entire Goddamn bear. It had been Draped over one of the Checkout Conveyer-belts. It's side had been perforated countless times and had multiple knives and glass-shards stuck in it's hide. How could these malnourished abominations have killed it? It's flesh nearly peeled away like Wallpaper as the horde of Decaying barely-living brainwashed husks ripped it apart and Gorged on the Rotting Cargo inside. I saw piles of Dead Worm-eaters stacked up in giant piles as they slowly broke down into a Disgusting Compost.

I didn't grab a single thing. I simply turned around and Ran as fast as I could. On the way I pushed a worm-eater out of the way and his head cracked open like an Egg-shell. He didn't even have a brain anymore. Just a mass of maggots poured out of his cranium as he convulsed on the Floor. His stomach bursting with flies.

I kept Driving afterwards.

October 22nd. 2017.

I haven't been able to think right. Think straight. Everything hurts and is spinning. I left town after that and Drove off into the woods. I feel like I want to vomit but Can't.

I know they're Following me. The Worm-eaters. I can see them. A couple Hundred A' 'em. I could probably just plow through them. How they're still alive is still beyond me. I can hear it. That constant fucking Loudspeaker. There's no towns for miles. But it sounds like it's SO close. It's not even making a tune anymore. It just keeps repeating one thing. One fucking thing. "GIVE UP. BECOME ONE WITH US." Like it things I'd willingly become one of those fucking Husks.

I have my baseball bat with me. And They're Frail. Soft. Broken. Rotten. I'll kill them. Those filthy abominations. I don't care how far I have to Drive. What I'll have to see. What I'll have to endure. I'll figure this out. I'll find someone else. I don't care how many Worm-eaters I have to kill. How much i'll get hurt. There's nothing left.

October 22

Killed so many of them. They broke like eggshells. Their intestines burst and writhed like leeches. They can't take me down. I don't care how many I'll have to kill. I won't quit. I won't give up.

I saw one of them all long like. No legs. Smooth. Rotten. Like maggot. Is this their plan?

October 23

Killed more. Going North. Going to canada. Loudspeaker stopped. Why? Low on Food. Worm-fuckers took it.

October 24.

Running out of Food. Head hurts always. Getting Rash. Feeling nauseous. Killed more of them.

25

Ate a maggot. It was sweet and juicy like a Twinky. Soft filling. Ate so many. Didn't feel sick. Feeling better. Feeling good. Good. Good. Good. Good.

26

Stopped killing them. They leave me alone. Ate more Maggots. Worms. Sweet. Tasty. Tasty. Tasty. Tasty. Skin getting soft.

astytastytastytastytasty.

27

No hurting. Just maggots. Just worms. Nothing hurts. Rotting. Decaying. It doesn't hurt. It tastes good. Feels good. Feels good. Feels good. Feels God. Feels God. Feels God. They wonIlostTheywonIlosttheywonIlost.

GODFORGIVEME

IAMTHEGOD

IAMHUNGRY.

THE GOD OF MAGGOTS.

(Hope you enjoyed my Story! Happy Cookoff!)